Yay ~ I'm BAAAACCCKKK!!!!

I am SOOOO excited!  Finally, after 15 thousand hours on the phone with Hughes (OK, maybe it wasn't 15 thousand hours but it sure felt like it!), the technical guru advised me that I cannot plug the Hughes modem into a surge suppressor.  Doesn't make sense but it worked, for now at least!  This is what happens when you live out in the middle of nowhere and you have to depend on satellite internet service!  Anyway, I better hurry and upload before it stops working!  I'll deal with uploading to SCS tomorrow.  The following card is the one I made for a Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini card swap I was invited to take part in from Jennifer ~ Jennifer's Sweet Designs.   Thanks Jennifer and yes, they really did go in the mail today!

The base of my card is Really Rust and is 5 1/4" square.  The next layer is Chocolate Chip then River Rock and then the top decorative paper is from the SU! Apple Cider Decorative Paper pack.  Yes, I tried SO hard to not purchase the paper but gave in to the awesome cards I have seen others make and gave in to the pressure!!!!  I know, I am weak...... 

I used the ticket corner punch on the River Rock and decorative papers and the decorative brads are from the SU! Vintage brads (Antique Brass color).  The strip across the middle is first Chocolate Chip and then a piece of Apple Cider.  I then took a piece of River Rock stitched ribbon, ran it across the center of the decorative paper and then taped each end on the back (I always do this because it saves on your ribbon and no one can tell anyway).  I then took a small piece of the River Rock stitched ribbon and tied it one time to the right of my flower and then took a small piece of white taffeta and tied it just one time and it lays nicely. 

The only stamp set I used is True Friend.  I stamped the large flower on Whisper White but what I did was use my River Rock ink pad to ink up just the stem and leaves and used my Really Rust marker to ink up just the outside of the flower part which is just the dots.  This part is really going to be covered up mostly anyway when you put your top flower on.  The way I did the top flower was to ink up my flower in my Really Rust ink pad and then used my Chocolate Chip marker to color in the center of the flower and the dots in the center.  I did "huff" on it (to moisten the ink) and then stamped it on a scrap piece of Whisper White cardstock.  I then cut it out, used my paper piercer to make a hole in the center to put the Antique Brass brad and then mounted it on the card with a dimensional.  This piece was matted with first Really Rust then Chocolate Chip and River Rock last.  This was also mounted on the front using dimensionals.   The final step was the circle.  I used the stamp that has the dotted circle around it and the flower in the center.  I stamped it first using Chocolate Chip ink on River Rock cardstock.  I then stamped it again ~ (Note:  Clean your stamp first before going to step two!!!!) this time using Really Rust on Whisper White cardstock.  I punched the Rust flower on white using my 1" circle punch and then I used my 1 1/4" circle punch to punch out the River Rock piece.  From the "A true Friend is a You friend" I used my Chocolate Chip marker and inked up just the word friend and then stamped it in the center of the flower.  I then mounted the white piece on top of the River Rock piece and then used a dimensional to mount it on the card. 

I have a couple more cards to add so check back soon ~ hopefully I can get them to upload!!!  Thank you for your patience!!!

~Lynda